


A Royal Arrangement

by White_Phoenix (Motevia)



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: Arranged Marriage, BAMF Tess Greymane, Background Relationships, Bisexual Tess Greymane, Bisexual Wrathion, Dragons, F/F, F/M, Genn means well, Internalized Biphobia, M/M, Politics, Royal Wedding, Royalty, Secret Relationship, Stormwind City, Wrathion's jealousy, bisexual Anduin Wrynn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:09:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26683459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Motevia/pseuds/White_Phoenix
Summary: King Anduin has a lot on his plate. He's also got a certain father-figure constantly looking over his shoulder. How can Anduin keep up with his duties as King of Stormwind and the Alliance without sacrificing everything he cares about? Tess Greymane may just have the solution.
Relationships: Tess Greymane & Anduin Wrynn, Tess Greymane/Anduin Wrynn (sort of), Tess Greymane/Original Female Charcter, Wrathion/Anduin Wrynn
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. The Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> Tags will change as this fic continues and the rating may go up. This is my first time writing in this fandom, but I've shipped Wrandiun for a long time now.

Anduin was downright bored. He dreaded these kinds of events, never really feeling like he fit in. Being King of Stormwind and the Alliance didn’t change that. If anything, it just made him feel more of an imposter. Yet Genn had demanded that Anduin make an appearance to show the Champions his gratitude for killing N’Zoth. And he was grateful, don’t get him wrong. There was just only so much mingling he could take before he started longing for a hot soak, a good book, and a long rest. It didn’t help that his morning had consisted of yet another meeting regarding the possible whereabouts of Sylvanas Windrunner and Nathanos Blightcaller. He really didn’t want to think about that right now, though.

The party was as extravagant as the crown could afford at the moment. Jaina and Genn had been the ones to plan the whole affair, having plenty of experience with such things. They were all dressed as finely as possible and the feast was delicious. Jaina had come to him a few days ago asking what his thoughts were on cuisine for the event. He had chosen to hire some of the best chefs from Pandaria, and they did not disappoint. Now he watched the dancers as his many advisors and few friends conversed around him.

Then he heard the very distinct laugh from further down the table that he would be able to recognize anywhere. It was slightly deeper than he remembered from several years ago, but the mirth and cockiness behind it was still the same. Sure enough, he looked to his far right and found Wrathion seated between Magni and Ebonhorn, most likely talking about their triumph over N’Zoth. Anduin had wished he could have been there to see the whole thing happen rather than hearing about it from reports. But his duties in Stormwind had kept him from being able to be there to fight alongside Wrathion. The Black Prince had come to him late at night after returning from N’Zoth’s defeat to tell him the story of how he had stabbed N’Zoth with the blade of Xal’atath. They had stayed up late into the night telling each other stories by Anduin’s fireplace as Anduin healed Wrathion’s scrapes and bruises. They’d had a lot to catch up on since Wrathion’s absence. 

As the king looked at the dragon prince now, he felt the familiar tightening in his chest and butterflies in his stomach. Wrathion was genuinely smiling at something Magni was saying while Ebonhorn chuckled alongside him. Anduin remembered that smile from many days and evenings playing with the dragon whelp. Wrathion had always been so cocky and sure of himself. Along with that came his way to charm himself into any crowd. That had only become stronger as the dragon got older. Now he had a brother to catch up with and several friends in Magni and the Champions of Azeroth. Anduin wished for that kind of freedom. Instead he had memos, reports, and advisors who constantly demanded his attention. One might think that tonight would have been the night to push all of that to the side to enjoy himself, but of course his life was never that simple.

The music picked up and he saw several Champions seated at the table a few feet away from Magni get up and join each other on the dance floor. To his left he noticed Flynn Fairwind get up and bow to Mathias Shaw with his hand extended. Anduin was surprised to see Shaw blush and take Fairwind’s hand as he led them both to the dance floor to join the Champions. He looked back to Wrathion to find the dragon prince looking right at him with a small smirk. Just like that, the butterflies in his stomach picked up again. Oh how he wished he had the nerve to walk over to his friend and offer his hand the way Fairwind had done. He wondered if Wrathion had learned how to dance during his long absence. Wrathion’s smirk grew into a full grin with a wink and Anduin couldn’t help but smile back before Wrathion turned his attention back to the conversation with Magni and Ebonhorn.

Just as he was getting lost in the fantasy of sweeping Wrathion onto the dance floor, Anduin heard a throat clear by his left shoulder. He looked up and was startled to see Tess Greymane standing between him and Genn clearly trying to get Anduin’s attention. Being a princess, Tess was dressed almost as extravagantly as Anduin was that evening. Her ball gown was a deep green velvet with gold ribbon trim. The neckline would have enticed any man or woman at the party and her sleeves came to points to wrap around each middle finger. Her hair, having grown out in recent years, was up in a hairstyle with braids that was quite common with Stormwind nobility these days. She was absolutely stunning and he felt a pang of regret that he could feel nothing romantic towards her. What was wrong with him?

Anduin cleared his throat and awkwardly stood up to properly address the Princess of Gilneas. He had an appearance to keep up, after all, and her father was sitting right there next to them. “Princess Tess. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” the king asked as he took her offered hand and placed a light kiss with a practiced bow. If Wrathion were watching him at this point, Anduin knew he would be teased about this later.

Tess smiled softly and removed her hand before simply saying, “My King. I was wondering if you would do me the honor of a dance this evening?”

Anduin blushed and looked back over at Wrathion’s direction. Sure enough, the Black Prince was smirking with a wicked glint in his eyes. He would definitely be teased about this later when the two boys could find time alone. Anduin suppressed a sigh and looked over to Genn Greymane, who was now looking like his birthday and Winter’s Veil had both come early that year. “Oh don’t look at me,” the old Worgen said, “Go enjoy yourselves. Tess, go easy on him will you?” he added with a smile to his daughter.

Tess laughed and took Anduin’s offered hand before leading him out to the dance floor. It had been a while since Anduin’s dance classes and he prayed to the Light that he wouldn’t make a fool of himself in front of his entire kingdom and Azeroth’s Champions. As they swayed across the dance floor, Anduin tried hard to remember how to count the steps and hoped he wasn’t stepping on Tess’s toes too badly. 

Eventually Tess spoke up to catch his attention. “Anduin. How are you?” Before he could give a practiced response she interrupted, “No, Anduin. I mean this genuinely. Are you doing alright?”

Looking into her eyes, Anduin could tell that she really meant her question and all thoughts of lying to her flew out the door. He was so tired of lying and pretending. “Honestly, Tess. I’m exhausted,” he finally responded.

Tess smiled at him softly and he knew she understood. She had her own royal duties, after all. He knew that Genn was trying to marry her off just as he was trying to do to Anduin. He could only imagine the number of offers from potential suitors she had received tonight. They’d been able to spend a few minutes here and there since her family had officially moved to Stormwind after the fall of Teldrassil. She really was an amazing young woman, which was why he felt so much guilt that he couldn’t feel any romantic attraction towards her. Genn made it no secret that he wanted to see the two of them married one day. Just another reason he felt that he was a disappointment as a king.

They spent the next song making small talk as Anduin whisked Tess around the dance floor. He felt himself becoming more and more relaxed and eventually he was no longer counting his steps. But soon they were both tired and could no longer keep up with the dancing. She kissed him lightly on the cheek and said, “Come with me for a few moments. I need to speak with you.” Surprised and blushing, Anduin looked briefly in Wrathion’s direction to find the black dragon now talking with a small group of Champions who came to speak with him and Magni. With nothing else to do at the moment, Anduin followed Tess out of the banquet hall and into one of Stormwind Keep’s many offices. Whose it was he wasn’t exactly sure. But he followed her inside and Tess locked the door behind them. “Have a seat, Anduin.”

His first thought was that she had brought him in here to try to seduce him, but the serious look on her face told him otherwise. Whatever she had to say was certainly something very important to her. He sat in the chair behind the desk and she walked over to him to sit carefully on the corner of the desk. She looked down at the hands in her lap for a few moments and Anduin could tell by the furrow in her brow and the bite in her lip that she was nervous about whatever was on her mind. Eventually resolve and determination replaced nerves and she looked directly at Anduin’s face.

“I know you’re in love with Wrathion.”

Whatever he had expected her to say, this certainly wasn’t it. Anxiety took over his mind. How did she know? He hadn’t even told Wrathion yet about his feelings. If she knew, did that mean everyone else did too? Oh Light. Was she here to blackmail him? What could she possibly want that she didn’t already have?

His thoughts must have shown on his face because she laughed lightly and put her hand on his shoulder. “Anduin. Calm down. I’m not going to use this information against you.” Her eyes were sparkling in mirth and he took a large inhale and exhale to calm his nerves.

“Who else knows?” he finally asked. “Does Genn know? I’m going to get such a lecture from him.” He groaned and put his face in his hands on the desk.

“Relax, my dear,” Tess responded as she pulled his hands away from his face to hold them in hers. He looked up at her again and saw her smiling softly before she said, “I’m the only one who knows. Although I’m sure Flynn, Mathias, and Valeera have their suspicions. Lady Jaina I’m not so sure about, but I wouldn’t put it past her. She’s quite observant. But, Anduin, I’ve seen the way you look at him when you think no one else is looking. It’s quite sweet, actually. But I do know what kind of trouble this could cause if anyone were to find out. Are you planning on pursuing him?”

“I… don’t know,” Anduin replied after a few moments. Did he want to pursue Wrathion? He wasn’t even sure if the dragon saw him as more than a friend. Yet he couldn’t think of anyone else he would want at his side. Was that why he had such a hard time lately with suitors? The young women Genn had thrown his way recently were beautiful. All of them from powerful royal families that would ensure the security of Stormwind’s throne. Yet none of them had Wrathion’s clever wit or flirty chuckle. None of them he could see keeping him up into the late hours of the night with banter, games, and stories. The very idea of having a queen who spent her day gossiping amongst the royals in her sewing circle filled him with dread. Yet he knew that his duties as King of Stormwind sealed his fate. Eventually he would have to settle down and produce an heir for the kingdom. 

Tess lightly squeezed his hands and said softly, “Look, Anduin… I get it. Neither of us fit into this life of royalty that’s been thrown at us. Father wants me to settle down as well and produce an heir for the throne of Gilneas, should we ever get our homeland back. But that’s not the life I want. I have a job and quite a few friends now. Even more important than that, however, is my girlfriend Emelia.”

This was most definitely _not_ what Anduin expected and he looked into her face with shock, “… _Girlfriend_?!” he finally stuttered out, “Does Genn know?”

Tess sighed and dropped his hands before standing up. Her velvet gown swished as she started pacing back and forth. “Of course not,” she replied, “My father would never allow it. But she and I have been seeing each other in secret for a few years now. We escaped Gilneas together with our mothers and miraculously we all survived. Like me, she’s one of the few Gilneans not affected by the Worgen curse. We started as friends while we were all getting settled down in Darnassus. Then one day we took a walk to the Temple of Elune and she kissed me.” Here Tess’s smile returned and Anduin could see the love in her eyes as she recalled that first kiss. He felt a bit of jealousy. Not because he felt anything towards her, but because he longed to know what that wistfulness felt like for himself. He briefly felt it at the Tavern in the Mists, but that was so very long ago now. And he had never gotten the chance to kiss Wrathion before the dragon knocked him out and disappeared for a few years.

Tess walked back over to where Anduin was sitting and clasped her hands in front of her. “This is actually the reason that I wished to speak with you. I know we don’t have a lot of time before we’re noticed as missing from the party. I’m sure your guards will begin searching for you soon, if my father hasn’t sent them out already. To be frank, I think that I may have a solution to both of our matrimony problems.” She looked up from her hand and Anduin could see the determination in her eyes. She had evidently thought this through. “I think you and I should get married.”

Anduin could swear he felt his heart stop and his stomach drop. _**“What?!”**_

Tess chuckled and replied, “I think you and I should get married. I know what you’re thinking, my friend. Just hear me out.” Here she took a deep breath to fortify herself before continuing, “My father wants to see us both happily married off. Preferably to each other. The problem is that we both hold feelings for other people. Tell me, Anduin… do you honestly feel that you could be happy with a queen on your arm?”

“Well, I mean… Eventually I’m sure I’ll love whomever I’m forced to marry…” Anduin trailed off at the look on Tess’s face. There was a flash of anger before her face turned to pity.

“Oh, Anduin. Cut the bullshit. You don’t need to hide yourself from me. I’m sure you’d make a valiant effort to love the one my father eventually finds for you. But you can’t tell me that’s what you really want. I saw the way you were looking at Wrathion over dinner. I can also guarantee you that he feels the same way.”

Anduin felt his face heat up and he felt his throat clench with nerves as he tried to forced out, “How… how do you know that?”

Tess chuckled again and it made the king feel as though there was a joke he wasn’t privy to. “My dear…” she finally said, “… this evening when we were dancing, Wrathion only had eyes for you.”

Anduin’s heart started beating what felt like a mile a minute. “He was really watching us?”

Tess placed her hands on the desk in front of him and leaned forward with a very knowing grin. Anduin felt his blush deepen as he sat back in his chair. “Oh yes. He was very clearly glaring at me from across the room. It was quite hot, actually. I hear dragons are quite possessive, you know.”

Anduin brought his fist up to his mouth to politely clear his throat and look away. “I… wouldn’t really know about that,” he squeaked out.

Tess took pity on the young king and pulled back. “Uh huh… So here’s my offer, Anduin. You and I marry and in a few years when we’re both ready I’ll provide you with an heir. You have your ‘Advisor’ by your side and I’ll have Emelia. The only ones who need to know the true nature of our relationship will be the four of us.”

“And is Emelia alright with this?” Anduin finally asked.

Tess grimaced slightly before responding with, “It’s not… ideal. She knows and understands my position. She loves me and I love her more than anything. I’ve been supplying her and her mother with what money I can without my father finding out. The only request I have with this arrangement is that she and her mother are well taken care of. They’ve had to relocate twice now and it’s been really taking a toll on them both as they’ve been attempting to settle down in Stormwind. I offered to buy them a farm by Redridge, but Emelia wants to stay close to me. I want to give her the life she deserves. If I can do that by securing a position as Queen, then I will gladly do so. Before you ask, I’m sure my mother already knows. She’s seen me sneak out at night to take Emelia on dates but she’s never said a word to my father. I know I should come clean to her sometime soon, but I haven’t wanted father to overhear us. If I’m married to you and one day produce heirs for Stormwind and Gilneas, not only will it secure our kingdoms, but my father won’t be able to say anything about my relationship should he ever find out.”

Anduin thought this over for a few moments with his chin resting on his clasped hands. He understood Tess’s situation. After all, it wasn’t all that different from his own. Yet he also knew his time away from the party was running out. “Let me think on this,” he stated finally. “You make a compelling offer and I do believe you’re right about how our… alliance…” he chuckled at his pun, “would benefit our kingdoms greatly without sacrificing who we are as people.” He sighed and stood up to properly face her. “Give me until tomorrow evening. I’d like to spend what time I can with Wrathion before I spring this on him. Maybe we can meet in the Royal Gardens tomorrow evening at ten bells? Bring Emelia with you. I’d like a chance to meet her and get her opinion on this arrangement. Plus, if she’s good enough to have earned your love, I’m sure she must be amazing.” The king smiled at Tess and she smiled back. He could tell that she felt a huge sense of relief now that she’d gotten this off of her chest.

“Thank you, my king,” she said, “I believe we’ve been away for long enough. Shall we return to the celebrations?”

“Of course, Tess. I believe the Pandaren have provided a fireworks entertainment for this evening. Would you care to accompany me?”

As they walked back to the party with Tess on his arm, Anduin could see Wrathion staring at them from across the banquet hall. His eyes were clearly narrowed at Tess and she noticed. She giggled as she whispered in Anduin’s ear, “Oh, he’s clearly jealous.” She gave Wrathion a huge grin before leaning in and giving Anduin another kiss on the cheek. The young king felt his face flame up again and looked back over at the Black Prince. He’d never seen the dragon look so murderous.


	2. Celebrations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anduin has a lot to consider, but at least he gets to spend an evening enjoying himself with a good friend.

The fireworks display was stationed by the docks, so everyone from the party made their way from the Keep to be seated around the large fountain to watch from a safe distance. Tess walked with him at the front of the procession and stayed by his side on a blanket in the grass. They laughed freely with jokes and banter while they waited for the fireworks to begin. She was a very intelligent woman with a sharp wit. It was obvious to Anduin why she had been able to make her way up the ranks of The Uncrowned so quickly. If her easy comebacks were any indication of her skill with blades, he would have to make a point to duel her sometime by the SI:7 training grounds.

Of course Anduin did not miss the proud fatherly expression on Genn’s face as he watched the king and princess spending time together. Anduin felt a stab of guilt that he was essentially playing a trick on the old wolf if he did choose to go along with Tess’s plan. But he tried to put that aside for now and give his proper attention to Tess’s jokes and stories. She regaled him with stories about people she met at the Broken Isles and told him about the beautiful scenery she found in Suramar. Every so often a Champion, friend, or advisor would come by to pay their respects to the King and thank him for putting on a party to lift their spirits. Tess helped him thank the Champions in turn for their heroic feat of killing N’Zoth. He could tell that many of them were confused as to why the Princess of Gilneas was seated so comfortably by his side and he knew that rumors would start to pop up regarding the nature of their relationship. Yet the more he thought about it, the better this would be if he chose to take her offer to be his queen. For a long time he didn’t see Wrathion anywhere until Tess pointed him out amongst the crowd. The dragon prince was seated next to his brother and Magni and it seemed that Wrathion was making a point to not look in their direction. So Anduin continued to give Tess his undivided attention and made a point to speak with Wrathion later that night.

The fireworks display was a huge success. Despite the fact that Stormwind had given fireworks displays before, they had been nothing compared to this. The Pandaren had gone all out and were able to make fun shapes into the displays. How they did it, Anduin wasn’t sure. He had a feeling mages were involved. Either way, the event had been a massive success amongst his people. Anduin was glad to be able to take some time to see the delight on the Champion’s faces as they watched the fireworks late into the night. This, he reminded himself, was what everything he did was for. His people deserved celebrations and peace. They deserved to have their accomplishments recognized. They also deserved a queen that would be able to keep their spirits up through difficult times ahead. Having a capable queen would also take some of the burden of ruling the Alliance from his shoulders. Yet he didn’t want to make a proper decision before he’d had time to weigh the pros and cons. For that he would need a certain dragon advisor. Someone would wasn’t a part of the Alliance or Stormwind nobility and could give an impartial opinion but he knew he could still trust.

So after the fireworks display was complete, Anduin stood up on a platform in front of the gathered crowd with Genn and Jaina on each side of him. “Champions of Azeroth,” he began, “I wish to thank you all for your heroic service to the Alliance by bringing down N’Zoth and his forces. The journey to Ny’alotha was a difficult one and we lost many brave people to N’Zoth’s madness. Your great deeds will forever be acknowledged and we will mourn those we lost along the way. To forever honor you all, I have commissioned a wall to be erected at the Keep with the name of every one of you who fought hard to take down N’Zoth. The ones who did not live to see the end of N’Zoth’s reign will be marked with a star next to their names. Our best dwarven stonemasons say that it should be completed by the end of the month and at that time we will have a proper unveiling ceremony. 

“In the meantime, I also wish to remind you all that Sylvanas Windrunner and Nathanos Blightcaller are still out there. We may not yet know where she is, but we have been working hard alongside the Horde to track her down so that she may be brought to justice for the crimes that she has committed. Rest assured that we will stop at nothing to bring down her and her supporters. If you wish to continue the fight, please seek out Mathias Shaw with SI:7 for more information.” Here he took a moment to turn to Jaina, who was given a large beautifully-crafted wooden box by a nearby assistance before readdressing the crowd. “Lastly, would Wrathion, Ebonhorn, and Magni Bronzebeard please approach the platform?” He watched the three of them look at each other in question before making their way up the Anduin. “These three worked hard over the past few months to seek out answers in Ny’alotha and train our Champions for the assault against N’Zoth and his forces. For that, we wish to present them with medals to show our esteemed gratitude.” Magni led the three with Wrathion and Ebonhorn close behind. Behind him, Jaina held the box open to reveal the three handcrafted silver medals inside. Anduin felt true happiness at seeing the pride on Magni’s face as he approached. Wrathion wasn’t looking him in the eyes, but bowed gracefully as Anduin slipped the medal over his head. Ebonhorn’s was the longest of the three and Anduin took great care to place the ribbon carefully around the great antlers of the dragon’s Hightmountain Tauren form before it settled safely around his large neck. Anduin stepped back and held his left hand out to present the three figures to the gathered crowd. Sure enough, the crowd erupted into applause and Anduin noticed a small smile grace Wrathion’s lips before the three of them clasped hands together and made a group bow to the audience.

“With that, we conclude our celebrations for the evening. We hope that you enjoyed tonight’s entertainment and we thank the Pandaren monks for putting on this wonderful fireworks display. Thank you also to King Genn Greymane of Gilneas…” here he shook Genn’s hand, “and Lady Jaina Proudmoore…” he bowed over Jaina’s offered hand, “for their hard work in securing our alliance with Kul Tiras and putting on this wonderful celebration for our Champions of Azeroth. Thank you all for attending this evening and please get home safely.” He waved to the crowd before making his way off the podium and back to Tess before offering his arm to her and leading the procession back to Stormwind Keep.

Everyone making their way back to the Keep was exhausted but Anduin finally asked Tess, “So how did I do? Didn’t royally fuck it up, I hope.”  
Tess laughed lightly and patted his hand in sympathy, “You did well, Anduin. You need to be kinder to yourself. These things will be easier with time.”

Anduin thought this over. Fighting the Horde and sitting through all of the boring meetings sometimes felt easier than addressing his people. He was always worried about making some sort of epic faux pas that would greatly upset a noble house or ruin a trade deal. “You know…” Tess spoke up from beside him, “I do have a great deal of experience with these kinds of situations. My trainings as future Queen of Gilneas and as a rogue have given me a proper skill set of dealing with public events and nobility. I do not bring this up to sway your decision, but genuinely as your friend. Whether or not you take my offer of marriage, I will gladly help you with future events and dealing with nobility. No matter your decision, you need help, Anduin. You can’t do all of this on your own. I know you’re stressed from all of your meetings and not being able to have your own life. My father helps as much as he can, but there are some things that require a woman’s touch or a rogue’s finesse.”

Anduin looked at Tess and saw genuine concern on her face. He trusted her. “And what of your duties to The Uncrowned?” he asked.  
“Well…” she replied, “…our organization does still have some assignments here and there that will require me to be away for short periods of time. But we have operatives that will be able to handle much of the legwork, leaving me with much more time on my hands lately. This has been great for spending more time with Emelia, but I confess that I’ve been finding myself a bit bored around the Keep. Which I think is why Father has been a bit more insistent lately with marrying me off to some noble. Helping with assignments that don’t need your direct input will give me something more to do. I can always meet with you in private for anything that I need your advice on. However, I’m more than confident I’ll be able to work with your other advisors to make decisions on my own.”

By this time, the group and guards had finally made it back to the Keep. Everyone was exhausted but content and Anduin still needed to speak with Wrathion. “Alright,” he said, turning to face her fully, “I will gladly take your help with handling these affairs. I’ll let Genn know that you’ll be helping us out in the future and I’ll have him send for you at our next meeting. For now I will bid you a good night and sweet dreams. I had a remarkable time with you this evening, Tess.” Here he took her hand and kissed the back of it. He didn’t miss the way Jaina, Genn, and the others were all closely watching them but he was determined to think about that later. No doubt each of them would pester him about this when they were each able to catch him alone. “Please send Wrathion to my chambers. I should get this over with as soon as possible.”

“Are you nervous, my dear?” Tess asked with a knowing smile.

“Confessing my romantic feelings to my childhood friend while also telling him I’m considering getting married to someone that is not him? I’ll be lucky that he doesn’t decide to eat me.”

Tess gave a hearty laugh that tipped her head back before she squeezed his hand lightly. “You’ll do fine, Anduin. You go say your goodbyes and relax in your chambers. I’ll send Wrathion up as soon as possible before I find Emelia. I’m looking forward to changing out of this heavy gown.” With that she left his side and Anduin made his way over to Genn and Jaina. Both of them were wearing identical grins as if they knew what was going on between him and Tess. He wondered briefly whether he should tell Auntie Jaina the truth about the nature of his and Tess’s relationship, but he couldn’t risk Genn finding out too soon. He just did not need the lectures right now. So he spoke with them briefly about the success of the evening and made his “goodnight”s before heading to the royal wing of Stormwind Keep.

As he made his way to his private chambers, Anduin started thinking about what exactly he was going to say to Wrathion. He knew he had to come clean about his feelings toward the dragon. He also knew that the human concepts of marriage arrangements were a bit foreign to the Black Prince. How dragons mated was so different to humans. The concept of monogamy was strange to them, despite the fact that they could be possessive creatures. Would Wrathion understand Anduins’s political position? If it weren’t the fact that Wrathion was male and Anduin needed to produce heirs, he would have happily declared the Black Prince as his consort. Of course the whole thing would be rather moot if Wrathion didn’t feel the same about Anduin anyway. Yet Tess seemed so very sure that the dragon felt romantic feelings for Anduin. Anduin was sure he had seen anger on Wrathion’s face when Tess had kissed him after they had returned from their discussion. Yet it could simply be that Wrathion didn’t tend to trust many humans. 

Anduin reached his chambers and started weighing the pros and cons of a marriage arrangement with Tess Greymane. On the one hand, a new marriage would give his kingdom something positive to look forward to. With all the hardships of the Fourth War and N’Zoth’s madness, his people needed something to keep their spirits up. A royal wedding would be the thing that made his people happy. Yet he feared what else they might expect of him. He wasn’t ready to be a father yet. Tess said that in a few years they could have their first child, but would that be good enough for his people? He knew that it was pretty standard for Stormwind royalty to have children quite young. He just wasn’t ready for that kind of life yet. There was still so much to do. He wished he still had his father there to speak with regarding love, relationships, and marriage. He had no idea what Varian would have thought about such a life for his son. Would he have approved of such an arrangement between Stormwind and Gilneas? He had been the king to bring the Gilneans back to the Alliance, after all.

Then there was the simple fact that Anduin’s heart did not belong to Tess. Nor did hers belong to him. He may be young, but he knew that not all marriages were created out of romantic bonds. He also knew that marriage was not necessary for all romantic relationships. But what if a few months or years down the road their marriage didn’t work? What if their friendship wasn’t enough to create a solid marriage between them? He hated the thought that one day they might resent each other. What kind of queen would she be for him and his people? As far as Anduin knew, Stormwind had never had a queen as cunning or sharp-witted as Tess. Would she get along with the nobles of Stormwind? He couldn’t see her sitting around pregnant while doing embroidery and gossiping amongst the royals. Then again, maybe that might be a good thing. If he ever married, Anduin wanted someone who would truly be by his side; not just some pretty face ready to pump out his children. Anduin shuddered. He couldn’t imagine inflicting that kind of life on anyone. No. If he were to take a spouse, they would need to be someone that could rule Stormwind and the Alliance as his equal. 

He did have faith that one day Tess would make an excellent mother to his children. He’d hardly known his mother before she was killed during the riots. He knew that she had been beloved by her people and Varian. He’d sometimes find his father in his chambers shedding tears over a painting of her. On those nights, Varian would put down the mantle of King and sit with Anduin to tell him stories about his mother. How they met and fell in love. How much she loved Anduin and her people. Anduin wished he could have known her like that, but he had been so very young when she died. Tess was a capable woman that he knew could take care of herself, but would also be a loving mother to any children they might one day have. He’d seen that with how readily she led her people out of Gilneas and had taken care of the Darnassian children resettling in Stormwind. He’d seen her reading to children in the Keep gardens and taking food to the elderly or ill. She was certainly the kind of woman Stormwind deserved as their Queen. 

Anduin took off his finery to change into nightclothes and washed his face on the basin. He debated about calling in a guard to ask for a couple of plates with some fruit and cheese and a pitcher of wine, but worried that such a gesture would be too presumptuous. So he decided that he would take Tess’s suggestion and bundle up with a good book to combat his fraying nerves. 

Before he could make a decision about which book from his personal library to begin, there was a gentle rapping on the door.


End file.
